2006 Honorary Degree
Barton R. Nelson
Doctor Of Agriculture
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He is the chairman of the board and president of the privately held Nelson Irrigation Corporation of Walla Walla, Wash., which employs 175 people. The company has developed products that have revolutionized water usage through innovations that are displacing wasteful and inefficient conventional surface and sprinkler irrigation techniques. Nelson Irrigation products irrigate millions of acres of farmland worldwide.
Born in Peoria, Ill., and raised on a farm near Brimfield, Ill., Nelson came to Purdue and earned his bachelor of science degree in 1961, taking courses in agricultural engineering and agronomy that stimulated his interest in irrigation. While at Purdue, he was president of Phi Gamma Delta fraternity, president of Inter-Fraternity Council and served on the Student Senate. After graduation, he went to work for the then-family business, L.R. Nelson Manufacturing Co., Inc., in Peoria, and helped expand the business into agricultural irrigation equipment.
Nelson Irrigation Corporation was spun off in 1972 and located in Walla Walla. The company is dedicated to planning, designing, developing, manufacturing and selling proprietary products for the irrigation market. Throughout his career, Nelson has been a passionate innovator in irrigation research and agricultural water delivery systems.
He also has been active in his community, working with YMCA and Community Connections, which helped youth at risk and their families. He was also a trustee of the Blue Mountain Area Foundation, a public charity serving community needs including providing scholarships to local students pursuing higher education.
In 1988, Nelson was honored by receiving the Industry Achievement Award from the Irrigation Association.
In 1995, Purdue honored him as a Distinguished Alumnus of the School of Agriculture. Since then he has been a member of the Agricultural and Biological Engineering Department Advisory Board and has collaborated with the UniversityÕs Forestry Department faculty in the Hardwood Tree Improvement and Regeneration Center.